Chenille fabrics and method of producing same



Jan 29, 1957 G. J. UNDERWOOD ETAL 2,779,354

CHENILLE FABRICS AND METHOD OF' PRODUCING SAME Filed Nov. 50, 1954 2 Sheets-Sheet Jl Jan. 29, 1957 G. J, UNDERWQOD r-:rAL 2,779,354

CHENILLE FABRICS AND METHQD oF PRODUCING SAME Filed NOV. 30, 1954 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 www F/G. Z

@dam/Mr m; @Mam/H7 CHENILLE FABRICS AND METHOD F PRODUCING SAME Application November 30, 1954, Serial No. 472,133

Claims. (Cl. 139-394) This invention relates to pile fabrics suitable especially for door covering purposes and is concerned more parnifed Seres ticularly with a novel pile fabric of chenille construction j and to a method of producing such fabric, IThe neuI fabric diiers from prior chenille fabrics, in'that its pile is rough and irregular and the elements of the pile include loops and may include both loops and tufts. The unusual surface effects in the pile of the new fabric are obtained by forming the pile of chenille fur of a new type, which is produced by a knitting operation and can be made more rapidly and at less expense than the chenille fur heretofore used in pile fabric floor coverings.

For a better understanding of the invention, reference Fig. 2 is a view similar to Fig. 1 but on a less enlarged 1 scale of a modified form of the fur;

Fig. 3 is a plan View of a knitted material, which is an intermediate product in the manufacture of another `modilied form of the fur;

Fig. 4 is a plan view of two lengths of fur produced from the product of Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 is a view in perspective with one section enlarged of a chenille fabric, in which the fur of Fig. l is employed;

Fig. 6 is a transverse sectional view on the line 6-t5 of Fig. 5; and

Fig. 7 is a view similar to Fig. 5 but showing a fabric, 'i which the fur of Fig. 4 is employed.

The form of the new chenille fur illustrated in Fig. l comprises a relatively heavyyarn 10 of the type commonly employed as the pile yarn in pile fabrics for licor covering purposes. The yarnis ordinarily plied of a number of singles components and the fibers employed are those customarily used and include wool, cotton, rayon, acetate, nylon, etc., employed alone or in blends. The heavyyarn `has the form of a plurality of connected loops lil with substantially parallel sides 12 and the loops open successively in opposite directions, so that adjacent loops have one sidev in common. The sides of adjacent loops are secured together by a4 succession 'of chain stitches 13 of a relatively light yarn 14, which may be spun from cotton, and each chain stitch encircles a single strand "of theheavy yarn. "ln the form of the fabric shown in Fig. l, the row of chain stitches lies about midway between the curved ends of the loops and the fur may vthus be considered to be made up of a row of chain stitches and loops of pile yarn of equal length extending to opposite sides of the row of stitches.

The modified form of the fur shown in Fig. 2 is the same as that shown in Fig. l, except that the row of chain stitches 15 lies at one side of the midpoints of the sides lo of the loops i7, 18. The row of chain stitches thus lies relatively close to the curved ends of loops 17 and remote from the curved ends of loops 18. The fur,

2,779,354 Patented les .1

accordingly, includes short loops at one side of the row of chain stitches and long loops at the other.

The forms of the tur shown in Figs. 1 and 2 may be readily produced on a warp knitting machine, in which the guides for the pile yarn lil are shogged back and forth to lay-the yarn in the loops illustrated. The ordinary knitting machine suitable for the production of the chenille fur has a large number of needles, so that the machine can produce many strips of the fur sin1ultaneously. As such machines operate to produce a large number of stitches per minute and the fur is finished and ready for use as it leaves the machine, the cost of production of the new fur is not greatly in excess of the materials used in making it.

When the new fur in the form shown in Figs. l and 2 4is employed in a fabric to produce the pile, the elements of the pile are loops. ln a fabric madeby the use of the fur of Fig. l, the pille loops are all of the same length, whereas, in a fabric in which the fur of Fig. 2 is employed, the pile loops include high loops produced by the loops 18 of the fur and low loops made by the loops 17 of the fur.- lf desired, the new fur can be made in a form, which provides both pile loops and pile tufts and such a fur is illustrate in Fig. 1l. The iur shown in Fig. 4 comprises separate loops El@ of heavy pile yarn all opening in the same direction and having straight sides 20, which lie parallel and are secured together by adjacent stitches in a row Z1 of chain stitches of a relatively light yarn. The loops 19 provide pile loops lying at one side of the row of chain stitches and the portions of the sides V20 of the loops, which lie at the other side of the row of chain stitches, then provide tutt legs.

he chenille fur of Fig. 4 can be rapidly produced on a knitting machine by setting up the machine, so that it produces spaced rows 22a, 22h of chain stitches with a strand 23 of pile yarn extending alternately in opposite directions through successive aligned stitches in the two rows. The yarn thus forms loops 2da at one side of row 22a of stitches and loops Zlb at the opposite side of row 22h of chain stitches. Upon completion of the product shown in Fig. 3, it is converted into two strips of chenille fur by severing the heavy yarns 23 about midway be'- tween the rows 22u, Zlib of chain stitches.

The Fig. 4 form of the fur has loops 19 and tuft legs 29 of about equal length but, if desired, the fur canbe formed in such manner that the loops are short and the tuft legs are of greatly increased length. For this purpose, the knitting machine producing the material shown in Fig. 3 is set up, so that the loops 24u, 2417 :lie closeto the rows 22u, 22h of chain stitches. The length of the tuft legs of the fur .is then determined by the 4spacing between the rows 2211 of chain stitches and this spacing may be increased or decreased as desired.

In the use of the new chenille iur in the production of a pile fabric for ioor covering purposes, the fabric may be woven with a backing ofany of the conventional constructions. "l" he fabric shown in Fig. 5 comprises stuler warp yarns Z5 lying substantially in a plane between filling yarns 26, Z7 in upper and lower levels, respectively. The filling yarns are held in place against the stuffer warp yarns by binder warp yarns 28, 29 in two sets, which pass alternately over filling yarns in the upper and lower levels and bind these yarns against the stuier warps.

The fabric shown in Fig. 5 is provided. with a pile made by the use of the chenille fur shown in Fig. 1. Strips of the fur extend transversely of the backing and are held in place between a pair of 4adjacent lling yarns in the upper level by catcher warp yarns 30. Each such catcher warp yarn passes beneath a filling yarn iu the upper level, over a strip of the tur and the next upper lling yarn, and beneath the third upper lling yarn. rll`he catcher warp arrastra W yarn is then raised out of the backing again to bind the next strip of fur in place. Each strip thus lies between filling yarns 1 and 2, 3 and fl, 5 and 6, etc.

In the production of the fabric shown in Fig. 5, a strip of the fur is inserted, at the proper time in each weaving cycle, in a shed beneath the catcher warp and above the otherpwarp yarns, but no attempt is made to cause the loops 11 of the fur to stand erect. Then, while the loops of the strip remain substantially in the position assumed upon insertion of the strip, the catcher warp yarns are lowered to bind the strip in place. The loops thus extend in random directions in the pille and the surface of the pile is rough and irregular. When the fabric is made with the fur shown in Fig. 2, the roughness and irregularities of the pile surface are more pronounced, since the pile is formed partly by low loops 17 and partly by high loops'18.

The fabric shown in Fig. 7 has the same kind of backing as the Fig. 5 fabric and made up of stnlier warps 25', filling yarns 26 and 27 in upper and lower levels, respectively, and binder warp yarns 23 and 29 in two sets alternate'ly binding the upper and lower lilling yarns against the stuffer warps. The fabric has a pile formed of the fur shown in Fig. 4 and the strips of fur are held in place by catcher warp yarns 30', which are bound into the backing and bind the strips of fur in the same manner as the catcher warp yarns 30 in the fabric of Fig. 5. The Fig. 7 fabric has a pile, the elements of which are the loops 19 and tufts 20 and, in t-he weaving of the fabric, no attempt is made to make the loops and tufts stand erect, so that the loops and tufts extend in random directions and thus give the surface of the pile an irregular' appearance.

The chenille fabric made by the use of the new chenille fur differs from chenille fabrics as made heretofore, in that the pile may consist of loops only, of both loops and tufts, or of tufts only, Whereas conventional chenille fabrics have a pile made of tufts only. in the production of the fabric, the fur is laid in place at the usual intervals, but it is not combed to erect position with the loom stopped, as is customary in the weaving of prior chenille fabrics. Accordingly, the elements of the pile of the new fabric ,lack a regular arrangement and the pile has a rough texture and appearance, which is commercially desirable. The omission of the combing operation in the production of the new fabric greatly reduces its cost in that the idle time of the loom during the weaving operation is reduced to a minimum.

We claim:

1. Chenille fabric, which comprises a back-ing formed of stuf'fer warp yarns lying substantially in a plane, filling yarns lying in levels above and below the stulfer warp yarns, and binder warp yarns in two sets holding the filling yarns against the stuffer warp yarns, strips of chenille fur extending transversely of the stuffer warp yarns between adjacent filling yarns in the upper level, and catcher Warp yarns extending under filling yarns on opposite sides of each chenille fur strip and over the strip to bind the strip in place, each fur strip being formed of loops of relatively heavy yarn extending to at least one side of a succession of chain stitches of relatively light yarn, cach stitch encircling a single strand of the heavy yarn.

2. Chenille fabric as defined in claim l, in which the 4 loops of relatively heavy yarn extend in random directions from the chain stitches.

3. Chenille fabric as defined in claim l, in which loops of the relatively heavy yarn extend to both sides of the succession of chain stitches.

fl. Chenille fabric as defined in claim 1, in which the relatively heavy yarns extend to one side of the chain stitches in the forrn of loops and to the other side of the chain stitches in the form of parallel legs, the loops and legs forming a pile.

5. Chenille fabric which comprises warp and filling yarns interlaced to form a backing having filling yarns in an upper level, strips of chenille fur extending transversely of the warp yarns, and catcher warp yarns extending over each chenille fur strip and under filling yarns on opposite sides of the strip to bind the strip in place, each strip being formed of a series of chain stitches and relalively heavy yarn passing through and bound by stitches of the series and forming loops at at least one side of the series, the heavy yarn loops forming the pile of the fabric and extending in random directions and being bound by the catcher warp yarns at dierent points to give the pile an uneven surface.

6. Chenille fabric as defined in claim 5, in which the heavy yarns in at least some of the chenille fur strips form loops extending from opposite sides of a series of chain stitches.

7. Chenille fabric as defined in claim 6, in which the loops of heavy yarn projecting rom opposite sides of a series of chain stitches are of equal length.

S. Chenille fabric as defined in claim 6, in which the loops of heav yarn projecting from opposite sides of a series of chain stitches are of unequal length.

9. Chenile fabric as defined in claim 5, in which thc heavy yarns in at least some of the chenille fur strips forni loops at one side of a series of chain stitches and parallel tuft-forrning legs at the other side of the series.

l0. A method of weaving a chcnille fabric, which comprises providing a chenille fur strip formed of a series of chain stitches and relatively heavy yarn passing through and bound by stitches of the series and forming loops at at least one side of the series, interlacing binder, stufier, and catcher warp yarns with lill-ing yarns in cycles of operation to form a backing having the filling yarns in upper and lower series lying above and below the stulfer warps, respectively, and bound in place by the binder warp yarns with the catcher warps bound beneath filling yarns in the upper series, inserting a length of the chenille fur strip once per cycle in a shed beneath the catcher warp yarns and above the other warp yarns, and, while the loops of the strip remain substantially in the positions assumed upon insertion of the strip, lowering the catcher warp yarns to bind the strip in place, and carrying on the other operations in the cycle.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

